Young, tall lefty brings the heat
Prospect Puk resembles Hall of Famer Johnson
MESA, ARIZ. » A’s top pitching prospect A. J. Puk hasn’t thrown a single inning in the big leagues yet, but that didn’t stop manager Bob Melvin from likening him to a certain Hall of Fame pitcher.
“The obvious guy is a guy I managed in Arizona for a little while,” Melvin said. “But you hate to put that kind of expectation or comp on a guy.”
Melvin was referring to Randy Johnson, the big flamethrower he coached from 2001- 02 on the Diamondbacks and again from 2007- 08 when Melvin returned to Arizona as manager of the club.
Puk, 22, bared a striking resemblance to Johnson when he stepped on the mound for his bullpen session on Thursday at Fitch Park. Both are tall lefthanders, with Puk listed just a few inches shorter than Johnson at 6-foot-7. Like Johnson, Puk brings the heat with a fastball that sits around 95-96 miles per
hour.
Johnson and Puk have already crossed paths before. Melvin brought Johnson in to talk with Puk and fellow A’s left-hander Sean Manaea during last year’s spring training. The three spoke about a multitude of things, from the way Johnson gripped his slider to how to go about being consistent on an everyday basis.
“It’s always nice to hear what he has to say, especially how well he played for as long as he did,” Puk said. “To learn things from his perspective was good to hear.”
Throughout a legendary 22-year big league career, Johnson wasn’t much of a talker. Similarly, Puk is also quiet and soft-spoken. But when the two convened last spring, Melvin felt the youngster gained a lot from the knowledge that Johnson had to share.
“I think he had an impact on him,” Melvin said. “Randy intimated it took him awhile to get his mechanics down and simplify things. But I think at this point, ( Puk) looks pretty tight with his mechanics.”
“I was really impressed with what he had to say. At this point in time where Randy is in his life, it’s about giving back.”
There’s only so much you can take away from a pitcher’s first bullpen session of the spring, but from what Melvin saw up close, the glowing reports about Puk’s dynamic stuff seemed to be validated.
Though Melvin indicated Puk will likely begin the regular season in the minors and would have to “push the envelope” in order to earn an early- season call-up, it may only be amatter of time before Puk does just that.
“It’s pretty exciting to speculate and wonder what the timetable is,” Melvin said. “He’s a special guy.”
Spending half the season at Single-A Stockton and Double- A Midland last year, Puk returns for his second big league camp having added a curveball back to his repertoire and developed a better feel for his changeup.
Puk already possessed a plus plus fastball and plus slider, which were on display last spring. Melvin credited A’s minor league pitching coordinator Gil Patterson’s work with Puk to help the 2016 first-round pick establish a full complement of pitches.
“Last year I was able to throw my changeup any time I wanted,” Puk said. “When I got behind and threw a changeup, it helped me get out of some tough situations.”
Wahl throws
Bobby Wahl, who is battling back from surgery on his right shoulder, threw his first bullpen session of the spring Thursday.
“To come back as quickly as he did and throwas hard as he did was really impressive,” Melvin said.
Wahl, 25, possesses a fastball that can reach triple digits on the radar gun. He was one of the A’s top relief prospects and a potential candidate to take over as the team’s closer.
Wahl appeared in seven games for the A’s last season, posting a 4.70 ERA before sustaining the shoulder injury.